Dredger



{No Modem I 2 Sheets-8heet 1. G. H. NICHOLS.

. DRBDGER- No. 563,876. Patented July 14, 1896.

I nventor.

Attorney.

in: nonms warms co, wo-rou'ma. WASHINGTON, a. a

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2. G. H. NICHOLS. DREDGER.

N0. 563.876. Patented July 14, 1896.

Witnesses. Inventor.

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Attorney.

m: uunms ravens co. PMDTOMTI WASHINGTON, a c.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEORGE H. NICHOLS, OF AKRON, OHIO.

DREDG ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,876, dated July 14, 1896.

Application filed April 28, 1896. Serial No. 589,404. (No model.)

To all wit-07a it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. NIcnoLs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dredges; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to dredging-machines, and more particularly to that class used for irrigation and canal excavating; and the object is to provide a means for rigidly bracing the dredge laterally while itis at work; and to these ends the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the several parts of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings the same roferencemumerals indicate like parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is an end view of a dredge with my improved hank-spuds in position. Fig. 2 is a similar view, partly in section, with the retainin g-pawls raised on the righthand side to release the bank-spud and lowered on the lefthand side to lock the spuds on the bank. Fig. :3 is a side elevation of one of the bank-spuds. Fig. i is a detail view of the retaining-pawls and their operating devices. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the same, and Fig. 6 is a detached perspective view of the retainingpawls.

5 represents the dredge-scow having the usual excavating derrick, lever, boom, and shovel, all of which are operated in. the ordinary manner.

t5 (3 are uprights or stanchions connected near their tops by rigid cross-braces 7 '7 to a similar pair of stanchions 8 8, and 9 is a kneebrace, one of which is located between each pair of stanchions with the cross-braces, as shown, and the upper face 10 of this brace 9 is semicircular and it forms a bearing for the bank-spud 12 at all points of its stroke. The

lower face of the bank-spud, which rests upon and slides on the semicirc ular face of the kneebrace, is smooth, While its opposite parallel side is provided with a series of rack-teeth 13 for nearly its whole length.

Mounted immediately above the spud 12 and between the stan chions is a pair of gravity-pawls l4 and 15, hinged together by a rulejoint on a shaft 16. The face of each of these pawls is eccentric with the shaft 16, and their eccentric faces are provided with rack-teeth 17 of the same pitch as those on the bankspud.

A double crank-sh aft 18 is mounted in bearing-boxes 19 20 on the stanchions, and a pair of short pitmen 21 22 connect the outer ends of each pawl. with the center pin of the crank-shaft, and a short flexible cord 24: on the outer arms 25 of the crank-shafts are connected at a common point 26 to a down-rope 27, the end of which is provided with a ring 28, which at will can be detachably secured to the hook 29, secured to the deck of the dredge.

The opposite arms of the crank-shaft 18 are provided with counterbalan ce-weights 31, which, taken in connection with the weight of the teeth of the pawls, serve to keep the pawls down into mesh. with the teeth of the spud, as shown in the left-hand side of Fig. 2, and it will be seen that if the rope 27 be pulled down and the ring 28 secured to the hook 29 the pawls will be released from the spud, as shown in the right-hand side of the same figure. A pitman 32 is connected at one end to the spud at the point where it is hinged or pivoted to the ballast-block 33, and at its other end to the stanchions at a point a little above the deck, which serves to prevent the block 33 from spreading away from the dredge when the strain comes on the spud, and a bracket-shoe 34:, rigidly secured to the top of the block, takes the strain from the end of the spud. These pitmen 32 are provided with extension-sections 35, which may be added to or taken from the pitman proper to preserve its relative horizontalposition to the dredge, according to the width of the canal or ditch to be out.

From the above description it will be seen that the application of these adj ustable lateral bank-spuds to a dredge it is rendered as stable and firm in operation as if it was Working on dry land, and they also dispense with the vertical spuds, which have to be driven down into the mud, and at best do not form a firm foundation for the dredge to work upon, but soon become loose and unstable.

Having thus described my invention, What necting said spud and block to the stanchions. I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent above described, substantially as and for the of the United States, is purpose specified.

The combination with a dredge of the class In testimony whereof I hereunto ztffix in y 5 described, of the stanehions 6, 6, provided signature in presence of two Witnesses.

with the semicircular-faced bracket, and the toothed gravity-pawls and their operating GEORG. H. NICHOLS. crank-shafts and cords, of the spud, provided lVitnesses: with the rack-teeth, having its lower end piv- HENRY O. KRAUSE,

1o oted to a ballast-block, of the pit-man con- CHAS. BRENNER. 

